Pictured: 2018 NJ Ambassador training. New and veteran Hearts for Home Care Ambassadors engage with state legislators, lobbyists, clients, and GAO staff to learn about the tools and resources they need to advocate on behalf of their staff and clients. After this, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (pictured below, center) introduced a bill to give home care workers access to parking placards to better serve their clients.

Previously known as annual statewide “Ambassador Training,” this past year the Government Affairs Office’s (GAO) Grassroots Advocacy Team has worked hard to revamp the yearly program to make it more interactive and more engaging for both new and seasoned Ambassadors. Whether or not you’ve attended in the past, be sure to check out what being an Ambassador is all about during our upcoming symposiums!

Throughout the year we will be offering symposiums in Pennsauken, New Jersey; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, South Carolina, and Rhode Island through the first half of the year. Contact me for more information and see below for dates. During these symposiums, new Ambassadors will learn about advocacy and what sharing their voice means, while the whole group will be trained on more concrete utilization tools to take their advocacy interactions to the next level! This year’s components and activities have been designed with your feedback in mind, and we are excited to show you what we have planned to allow you to be more confident and effective in your advocacy efforts.

Our Ambassador program serves as our “grasstops” program: Ambassadors commit to serving as their office’s liaison to government affairs activities and to educating their local elected officials and advocating for better policies on behalf of their office’s staff and clients. For example, check out what PA Ambassador and SEL Associate Christine Detweiler recently accomplished through her Ambassadorship. We have previously requested that each service office commit to having one Ambassador on staff, so if you’re office doesn’t have one (or even if it does!) please sign up to get more engaged with BAYADA, our clients, and your local electeds.

In addition to revamping the annual symposium, the grassroots team has been working on making sure ambassadors stay engaged and understand their importance in being a voice for home care throughout the year. Over the past 12 months, the Grassroots team has provided veteran ambassadors with monthly continuing education opportunities via 30-minute Zoom trainings to keep them abreast of new and existing advocacy tools and “tricks of the trade.” Because of the added engagement and positive feedback we’ve received, the GAO team is committed to keeping this practice ongoing throughout 2019.

For more information about the Ambassador programs, the annual symposiums, or home care advocacy in general, contact me today!